Twin gun mount



C. W. GREENE March 22, 1949.

TWIN GUN MOUNT- Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 31, 1945 l h a/// fnvenfor CheJzerM Greene 5 his torng Mal-ch22, 1949. c w, GREENE 7 2,464,926

' 'rwm GUN MOUNT Filed Jan. 51, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invemor ch 22, 1949-. c, w, REENE 2,4,926

TWIN em: MOUNT Filed Jan. 3].-, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 22, 1949 TWIN GUN MOUNT Chester W. Greene, Lynn, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. 5., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 31, 1945, Serial No. 575,414

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to ordnance and more particularly to a mount for a pair of guns to be operated in unison.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved twin gun mount in which the guns are individually supported but are moved in unison. To this end and in accordance with a feature or" the invention, the guns are carried by yokes individually supported for movement about vertical axes permitting movement of the guns in azimuth and the guns are journaled in the yokes for movements in elevation. A frame is carried for movement about a vertical axis between the yokes and carries at its rearward portion an arcuate rack concentric with the horizontal of the guns when the guns are in their mid position in azimuth. Linkage mechanism connects the forward portion of this frame and the breech ends of the guns which are interconnected so that the guns move in unison both in elevation and in azimuth. A drive mechanism is carried by the linkage and cooperates with the arcuate rack to effect movements of the guns in elevation. For moving the guns in azimuth the frame carries at its lower rearward portion a drive mechanism which cooperates with a fixed arcuate rack concentric with the axis of movement of the frame. The mounting of the guns in individual yokes which are individually supported insures that the energy of recoil of one gun will not be transmitted to the other gun but will be absorbed entirely by its own support so that in the event that one gun fails to fire there will be no tendency for the guns to move in azimuth due to the recoil energy. The

mount provides a complete self-contained unit with its own drive mechanisms for directing the guns, the unit being therefore capable of ready installation, for example in an airplane.

The above and other features of the invention will now be described in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a. view in side elevation illustrating one form of gun mount in which the invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the gun mount shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the gun mount;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV oi 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the drive mechanism for moving the guns in azimuth, and

Fig. dis a plan View looking from the bottom of "the mechanismshown in Fig. 5 with the bottom cover plate removed.

The gun mount is illustrated as supported in a turret I 0 (Fig. 1) which may be the turret of an airplane. For supporting a pair of guns [2 a pair of yokes it (Figs. 3 and 4) is provided, these yokes being journaled for movement about parallel vertical axes. Each yoke comprises a pair of side plates H5 secured to opposite sides of supports 53 carried by stub shafts 20 j ournaled in bearings 22 above and below the yokes. The upper and lower ends of the yokes terminate in ears 24 which are clamped by plates 26 and bolts 28 to opposite sides of the supports it. The plates IS in their central portions carry bearings (not shown) for trunnions extending laterally from adapters at in which the guns lZ'are mounted. Thus it will be seen that each gun is capable of movement in elevation in its supporting yoke Hi and the guns are also movable in azimuth by reason of the mounting of the yokes for movement about vertical axes.

Provision is made for insuring unitary movement of the guns both in azimuth and in elevation. Supported between the guns and mounted for movement about a vertical axis between the axes of movements of the okes and in the same vertical plane is a frame 32 (Fig. 1). This frame includes upper and lower arms 34, 36 extending rearwardly from a vertical sleeve 38 journaled for movement about a vertical axis in bearings 66, 42 (Fig. 4) The frame 32 also includes a curved plate is (Fig. 1) carried by the rearward ends of the arms 34, 36. Secured to the plate M is an arcuate rack it with which cooperates mechanism to be described for imparting unitary movement to the guns in elevation. The rack 36 is concentric with the horizontal trunnions 0f the guns when the guns are in their mid positions relatively to a supporting plate 82 (Figs. 2 and 4).

To the rearward ends of the gun adapters are secured, for vertical adjustments, plates 48 (Figs. 1,. 2 and 3) having rearward extensions 59. The guns are maintained in parallelism in azimuth by a U-shaped tie bar 52 the outer ends of which are connected by ball and socket joints to the extensions 50 of the plates 48.

For insuring unitary movement of the guns in elevation while thus maintaing their parallelism, a linkage connection is provided between the forward end of the frame 32 and the breech ends of the guns. A pair of links 54 is pivotally connected by studs 56, 58 to bosses 60 on the sleeve 38 and to a yoke M in which the tie bar 52 is journalled for movement about a vertical axis on a pin 64. The yoke 62 is pivotally connected by pins 58 (Fig. 3) to a gear housing 68 carrying a drive motor '18 for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. ihe gear housing 68 is also connected by arms 72 to a pin 14 carried by the sleeve at below the bosses Bil. It will thus be seen that the guns are so connected that they will move in unison both in azimuth and in elevation and will remain in parallelism at all times.

For moving the guns in azimuth an arcuate rack 833 is secured to the rear end of a fixed plate 82 extending rearwardly from the lower bearings 22 in which the yokes M are journalled. The rack 89 is concentric with the axis of movement of the frame 32. The frame has a rearwardly extending arm 84 carrying at its outer end an electric motor 35 with its axis disposed vertically. The motor shaft carries a drive pinion 88 (Fig. 5) which extends into a gear housing 90 carried by the underside of the arm 86. The drive pinion 88 meshes with a gear 92 carried by a shaft 94 journalled in the gear housing, this gear being connected through a friction drive plate 96 to a gear 98 which is in turn connected through a gear lilfl to a pinion I02 engageable with the rack 8%]. It will be understood that when the motor 36 is driven the pinion 12 will rotate and because of its engagement with the rack will impart motion to the frame 32 about its vertical axis. lhe rearward portion of the frame is embraced by a pair of flanges, one of which is shown at H33 (Fig. 1), extending forwardly from the gear housing 68 so that movement of the frame causes similar movement of the gear housing and by reason of the connections between the gear housing and the guns the latter move in unison in azimuth with the frame and are always maintained in parallelism. Any suitable mechanism may be provided for controlling the operation of the electric motor 85 and the extent of movement of the guns is limited by a pair of arms I04 secured to and depending from opposite sides of the arm 36 of the frame Mounted in the path of movement of these arms are stops I06 carried by casings ms secured to the supporting plate 82.

For moving the guns in elevation the electric motor I!) is connected through gearing similar to that described above for adjusting the positions of the guns in azimuth so that the motor T8, the gear housing 68, links 54 and 12 will move relatively to the rack 45 when the motor is driven. Suitable stops 8 it! carried by the frame 32 limit the movements of the guns in elevation. The motor iii may be controlled in a manner similar to the electric motor 86.

From the above it will be seen that the guns are mounted to move in unison at all times both in azimuth and in elevation. Self-contained drive units are provided for causing these movements of the guns. By mounting the yokes M in which the guns are supported, for movement about independent vertical axes, there will be no tendency for one gun to turn when it is fired even if the other gun fails to fire as is the case when two guns are mounted for unitary movements about a single vertical axis, but it will be understood that in ordinary practice the guns are intended to be fired together.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a pair of gun supports mounted adjacent to each other for movements about vertical axes, a gun carried by each of said supports for movements about a horizontal axis, a frame between said guns pivoted for movement about a vertical axis located between the axes of movements of the gun supports, means connecting said frame and said guns for unitary movementsabout said vertical axes, said means including a linkage connection enabling unitary movements of said guns about their horizontal axes relatively to said frame, means carried by said frame for moving said guns about said vertical axes, and means cooperating with said frame for moving said guns about said horizontal axes.

2. A twin gun mount comprising a pair of yokes mounted side by side for movements about verti cal axes, each of said yokes being arranged to support a gun for movements about a horizontal means pivotally connecting the breech ends of the guns whereby the guns and their supporting yokes are movable in unison in azimuth about said vertical axes and the guns are maintained in parallelism, means for thus moving the guns in azimuth, an arcuate rack between said guns movable therewith in azimuth, said rack being concentric with the horizontal axes of the guns in one position of the guns, and means cooperating with said rack for moving the guns in unison about said horizontal axes.

3. A twin gun mount comprising a pair of yokes mounted side by side for movements about vertical axes, each of said yokes being arranged to support a gun for movements about a horizontal axis, an arcuate rack between said guns concentrio with respect to said horizontal axes in one position of the guns, means mounting said rack for movement about a vertical axis between the vertical axes of the yokes, means connecting said rack to the guns for movement with the guns in azimuth, means carried by the rack for thus moving the guns in azimuth, and means cooper-- ating with said rack for moving the guns in elevation.

4. In combination, a pair of gun-supporting yokes mounted side by side for movement about vertical axes, guns carried by said yokes for movement about horizontal axes, a rearwardiy extending frame journaled for movement about a vertical axis between the axes of the and extending between said guns, means connecting the forward portion of the frame and the breech ends of the guns for unitary movement of the guns in elevation, an arcuate rack concentric with the axis of movement of the frame, means carried by said frame cooperating with said rack to move the frame and guns in unison in azimuth, an arcuate rack carried by said frame concentric with the horizontal axes of the guns in one position of the guns, and means carried by said connecting means cooperating with said last named rack for moving the guns in elevation.

CHESTER W. GREENE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the France Aug. 26, 1935 

